Hospital pharmaceuticals

Part of our work is to help District Health Boards assess and procure the pharmaceuticals used in public hospitals.

Section H of the Pharmaceutical Schedule – includes the Hospital Medicines List (HML) and the Addendum for medical devices

Clinicians, pharmacists and PHARMAC developed the Hospital Medicines List (HML) in response to the Government’s policy of nationally funding hospital pharmaceuticals. It is also designed to deliver national consistency of DHB hospital medicines offered to patients, wherever in New Zealand they are being treated.

Before 1 July 2013, PHARMAC’s role was to enter into national contracts for supply to DHB hospitals.

From 1 July 2013, PHARMAC became responsible for making decisions about which new pharmaceuticals will be funded for use in DHB hospitals.

Pharmaceutical cancer treatments

PHARMAC manages DHB hospital expenditure on pharmaceutical cancer treatments (PCTs) through the Pharmaceutical Schedule. In addition to national contracting for these products, PHARMAC determines access criteria for PCTs. This means that patients around the country should have equivalent access at all DHB hospitals. DHBs are not able to provide access to treatment outside of the published list of PCTs without an application under the Named Patient Pharmaceutical Assessment policy.

Paediatric oncology/haematology does not have published national access criteria, and use of certain products may require notification for claims to be paid.